Collecting

What to Collect
I collect crayons, colored pencils, markers, pens, chalk, toys and merchandise relating to art supplies. I mostly collect Crayola products, but I do collect other brands. Click on each one to see my collection.

Getting Started
Does this website make you excited about crayons and you want to start collecting?  Great! Starting a collection can be a little daunting, but do not worry, I can help you get started.   The amazing thing about Crayola products is you don't need to necessarily find the old products to start collecting, sometimes the new products can be collectors items too.  It just depends on how many stores they are carried in and how and where they are sold.  For example Crayola had a contest a couple years ago to rename some colors on Facebook.  In conjunction with this contest they also sold a set of collector 8 pack crayons.  The goodness didn't end there though, they also sent a pack of 64 crayons to all the people that had purchased the 8 pack, for free!  I moved in between and was really nervous about getting my crayons, but they got to me. To start thinking about collecting I've assembled a list of questions.

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Which products you want to collect? Crayola makes so many products, crayons, colored pencils, markers, chalk, pens, merchandise, toys and games etc.  Do you especially love one of these categories, if so there are items in that category to collect?  Do you like just the individual colors or do you like the different box designs too?  Collecting the boxes will take up a lot more space. I personally love the different box designs.  But I do not collect all the boxes.  I just do not have the space.
• Which leads to the next questions, How much space do you have?  If you do not have a lot of space start with something small and simple. The Pick Your Pack Series from Target and Tip Collection is great for smaller collections.  They come out every year for a limited time and then are gone until the next year when they come out with new designs. Certain products are also harder to store than others, ie the Color Alive Series and Pip-Squeaks Markers in Disguise series.
• How much do you want to spend?  The great thing about crayon collecting is you don't have to spend that much.  Buying rarer crayons can definitely get more expensive, but if you buy crayons when they are at the store they are usually a fair price.

Connecting with Other Collectors

You can also connect to other collectors and they will let you know what products are collectible and answer lots of your questions. You can connect to other collectors through:

• Facebook group.  We are super active and love to talk about crayons and Crayola all the time. Instantly connect with like minded collectors in this group.

The Style and Code Numbers
One tool I have found useful in collecting is looking at the style and code numbers for each item Crayola makes. What are style and code numbers/

Like any company that produces parts Crayola has a system for keeping track of all their many different products.  They have been using style numbers as early as the 1960's. In the 1960's through the 1990's the style numbers were under the top or bottom flap or the back of the box flap.  The style number consists of two numbers followed by 4 numbers, xx-xxxx.  The first two numbers designate the type of product and the 4 numbers usually have something to do with the specific style or size of the product.  The following list is the first two numbers of the style codes for most Crayola products. I have a list of all the style and code numbers I've complied here!

03- chalk
04- combinations of products
52- crayons
58- markers
68- colored pencils
74- paint
75- Color Wonder
95- Color Alive

The code number is a more specific number.  It consists of the style number a -0 and a -xxx.  The first product in a series is usally -200 for crayons and -300 for markers.  Crayola tends not to follow this rule as closely. During the 1990's a W was added to some of the boxes to designate a new box design/and or color changes to a box.

Using these style and code numbers is very useful.  I will include the style numbers and code numbers in all my What's Inside the Box Series and look more in depth at how the numbers to see the stories of all the crayons.

If the box does not have a Style or Code Number then the part is an Official Licensed Product. Basically Crayola does not make the product, but outsources the product to another company. This company is in charge of distributing, marketing, and manufacture of the product. Some collectors will only collect Crayola made merchandise while others will collect everything with Crayola's name on it.

Purchasing your Collection

Once you've decided how much space, what you want to collect and where you can store it it's time to start buying your collectibles. You can buy Crayola products from JoAnn's, they always seems to have the new lines first, Target, Walmart, Crayola Stores, and www.crayola.com. Other places carry Crayola products, but these are the stores where I see the products first or I see exclusive sets.

Right now the best place to buy older crayons is on ebay, craigslist and antique stores. My mom found a box that was not that old at an antique/pawn shop.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy this collecting journey!